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Post by carly31 on Aug 31, 2014 23:31:40 GMT
Hi :-D
In my experience, evidence meant evidence from my childhood. Adhd is a lifelong condition, so school reports, memories of what you were like at home and in school and the opinions of others- siblings, parents/guardians. Many other mental health conditions cause adhd like symptoms, so it's the childhood stuff that's key to diagnosis. Personally, I wouldn't ask anyone I didn't trust to answer things like that about me but that's entirely up to you. I haven't had many close relationships so I asked several people to answer the questionnaire I was given and averaged it up!! It really does depend on the service by the sounds of others' experience. Try writing down things you've noticed about your experience of adhd from childhood through to adulthood.
Good luck and let us know how it goes
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Post by carly31 on Aug 28, 2014 19:39:32 GMT
When you're asked to fill out a holiday form a year in advance and consider getting a new job instead...
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Post by carly31 on Aug 27, 2014 9:19:48 GMT
You wake up two hours early to go to work and are still in bed phone surfing with 15 mins to go and a dog to walk, lunch to make, shower to have and lift to not be late for. Oh and all the 'I am organised!' lunches you make the night before in a flurry of efficiency that shall never make it out if the fridge in the morning At least tea/dinner is sorted though
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Post by carly31 on Aug 27, 2014 8:35:43 GMT
Well, I'm not sure if it's linked directly to adhd but stealing is a pretty exciting thing to do and might be linked to impulse control. It's high risk and rewarded by the thing you steal! I used to steal a lot when I was younger but now I'm too nervous. My mum took me to the police station when she found loads of stuff under my bed but that didn't really stop me from doing it. I was more embarrassed about having to apologise to the shop keeper. I had a whole host of other trauma to deal with as well as my undiagnosed adhd.
I guess what I would have liked from my parents would have been them to talk to me to find out why I was doing it and trying to find something else to replace the buzz. Treating it more like an addiction than something to be punished about. Punishments just drove a wedge between me and my family. Just made me feel less involved and isolated. I guess it's hard when you're so emotionally involved, but maybe you can relate to a time when you did something you knew was bad and then imagine how you would talk to the child you to try and get them to understand the consequences of this behaviour? I write letters to myself (like agony aunt) feels a bit silly but you get to see yourself from an outsiders viewpoint.
If you have a hyperactive child then sports is a brilliant outlet for their need for excitement - sport keeps me together!
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Post by carly31 on Aug 26, 2014 23:26:03 GMT
I need to know how everything works from start to finish. I like to have the life story of everything ! You don't watch a film from the middle, like you don't start a book from the end! I can't articulate or express my understanding unless I've grasped things this way- which can be annoying for others!
I use external memory mostly. I found this particularly helpful when feeling anxious about life events. I drew a picture of all the things that are important to me so that one thing doesn't suffocate me. I live today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, whatever is worrying me is the theme of my life today, which can either be really productive or really destructive!
I find emotion helpful too. I never realised that those feelings in my body were emotions and they tell you all you need to know about any situation.
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Post by carly31 on Aug 26, 2014 23:07:16 GMT
So, I have started dating again after my adhd diagnosis...
...I went on a date 2 weeks ago but never heard back from them...
Now, I think where I went wrong was being to intense with my eagerness to create something!! I got a bit carried away with organising the second date. The first one went really well! I realised straight away that it was too soon and probably came across really needy. I'm not needy, I just got overexcited!! so (for the first time ever) I've just waited... and waited...
Thought it'd be nice to have a thread to share stories about dating blunders?
This one is pretty average on the blunder scale, but I'm hoping that others can sympathise with the difficulties adhd brings to a new relationship? It's painful being rejected and hard to separate the 'self' from the adhd symptoms especially when you first meet a stranger!
Is it something you bring up early on? "sorry, I know that I probably look completely insane by getting really theatrical in my story telling, but I'm just really really excited, I'm not insane though, I just have adhd, which means that these are probably my more endearing (eccentric) qualities.... I have already planned our future together but I can guarantee that in a few weeks I will have calmed down. Once the initial excitement of first meeting you wears off I'll be relativity normal on the level of interest and probably be obsessed with something else by then anyway... I can assure you that going out with me will be 'interesting' to say the least..." ;-)
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Post by carly31 on Aug 25, 2014 11:00:19 GMT
As soon as I had a diagnosis I forgave myself for my shortfalls. Going to support groups made me realise that I am my own worst enemy. I don't think anything bad of the others in the adhd meetings and I doubt anyone feels that annoyed with me. Those who do are people I don't want or need in my life. Yes I'm intense, impulsive, restless... But that's just the way I am. I don't see why I should take drugs to make me be like everyone else. Self acceptance, forgiveness and assertiveness is what I'm going with - I have these problems, this is what I need to perform, deal with it (I'm referring to people in my life), I have! If they don't accept it, move on, there are billions of people in the world, millions of them will accept who I am, millions won't! Life's too short. I've had 6 years of therapy and it's this which has helped me find ways of building my self esteem and allowing me to be my adhd self and not be ashamed of it. I think people with adhd are amazing and we shouldn't allow people to make us feel any different x
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Post by carly31 on Aug 4, 2014 20:36:17 GMT
Yep, I've got a bad temper. Loud music and punch the hell out of my pillow otherwise I take it out on people or it builds up. I think it's normal levels of anger, ie there's nothing wrong, it's just that we have difficulty regulating it coz of impulsivity?
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Post by carly31 on Aug 2, 2014 3:31:01 GMT
Nothing is ever to late. I hope that the realisation will be as cathartic for you as it was for me. One of the hardest things to come to terms with is the feelings that nobody bothered to worry or look for answers for us as children. I found that my diagnosis undid a lot of the damage to my self esteem and my anger towards my mother is slowly dissipating. She has adhd to, I'm sure of it, explains why she was an inattentive mother. I'm glad you've found this forum, it's been the most helpful thing to realise you're not alone afterall this time. Hugs.
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Post by carly31 on Jul 31, 2014 10:35:42 GMT
You know, it's funny you should mention this. I had a follow up adhd appt yesterday and I left there feeling so happy that I cried a few times on the way home. I really wanted to tell all my friends but I thought they might think I'm being arrogant by telling them that my specialist told me that I'm better than okay and that Id be an asset to any team. there's nothing wrong with me just because I have ADHD, in fact he said it's people with ADHD that change things, we're an asset to the team if we can learn to harness the energy (what with being in an understanding work environment etc) He said that ADHD doesn't always have to be pathological. He said he often sees people with hyperactivity excel at their treatment because it's new and they hyperfocus to understand every last detail to gain insight and suddenly there's all these things we can do to help us not be so forgetful and disorganised. I know I have difficulties and that's why I wanted a diagnosis, so I could get reasonable adjustments under the equalities act. I never imagined that the mental health service would diagnose me in such a positive way, maybe I'v just been lucky here. Given the life I've had I am surprised I'm still alive, but I am and I'm actually thriving. He reckons it's the ADHD that's kept me alive, it keeps me moving forwards, forward in life, forward in healing, just generally moving forward in a range of different annoying paces! I would recommend therapy. It is very good for the emotional trauma we face when growing up. These experiences are the building blocks of our identity and quite frankly, they're a load of bollocks because they are somebody else's views of us, their value judgement, they're not who we are and the quicker you can smash them out of the way the quicker you can put your own blocks back into place and be who you really are. I noticed that there are lots of knowledgeable people on this forum to!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 24, 2014 16:29:24 GMT
I think CBT is great but I think that it's about finding a way in which you can actually apply this stuff and keep doing it! I have found external memory so helpful. I have a massive whiteboard in my room which reminds me about all sorts of things. I also liked the OHIO suggestion in driven to distraction book. It means 'only handle it once'. Don't have piles of things to do. They don't get done! Just do it, right there, right then. I tell people straight now even if we're mid convo -"Sorry, I will forget if I don't set a reminder right now". I do it with everything now. I don't think "I must remember to do that", I just do something with that thought straight away. In my phone, on a note book on my board. I don't want to take medication if I'm honest. I guess it's about finding out what things can stay a mess and disorganised and forgive yourself for those- just forget about them and laugh at yourself everytime you catch yourself doing it! and then finding a military regime for the things that have to be done and do them in exactly the same order every time so that it becomes a habit. Get in touch with occupational health, tell them what you find difficult in your role, offer solutions, ask for things- whiteboard, quiet room, permission to move every 5 mins- whatever you need to be able to function, which I'm sure you already know and do in other areas of your life. Those are reasonable adjustments for you to be able to thrive in your role and that is covered in the equalities act.
And with that, I'm going to follow my own advice!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 23, 2014 23:58:31 GMT
i meant addiction as a physical thing - the brain/body quickly adjusts and has some sort of dysfunction without it - rather than a psychological addiction. (tho actually the interplay of the two can be pretty complicated, as i discovered when stopping smoking and the way my brain went haywire without nicotine... but that's another story) v best of luck with the exams carly31I think that those couple of days on diazepam turned me into the devil itself. Was getting well shitty with people and taking everything as a personal attack. Best off those bad boys I think!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 23, 2014 21:32:29 GMT
You spend weeks and weeks and weeks writing and condensing data for your thesis and just seem to get more and more confused by its enormity and you're being slowly buried by thousands of pieces of paper- which look really pretty because they're colour coded- but still seem to be stuck on some insignificant detail which must be significant otherwise it wouldn't have got stuck in your mind like a broken record....
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Post by carly31 on Jul 22, 2014 22:25:35 GMT
Thank you for sharing anothertone.
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 23:50:05 GMT
Ssri's made me totally insane. I was so high off them I was hallucinating and could not stop moving. I felt pretty mentally ill. I was paranoid that the ambulance was after me to section me. Medication induced hypomania they used antipsychotics to bring me back to earth. Snri's made me euphoric, happy, sleepy, hungry and a bit (Very) chubby. It was a nice feeling but I guess euphoria is probably not a good sign either.but it felt so good! I lost 3stone in about 2months once I was back to my normal hyper self. I do have gilberts syndrome. Wonder if that has anything to do with metabolising drugs. I get stoned just from being in the same room as my friend who smokes. I can't smoke that because it makes my ptsd flare up. Alcohol used to make me so anxious the day after. Co-codamol is too strong. Actually my mother is sensitive to medication too. The cancer drugs they gave her nearly killed her. She was super sensitive to them, they halved the recommended dose. Maybe it is genetic then. I'm a fine example of a rebel of the standard deviation!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 21:40:00 GMT
Abstract
Benzodiazepines are frequently administered to patients to induce sedation. Paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines, characterized by increased talkativeness, emotional release, excitement, and excessive movement, are relatively uncommon and occur in less than 1% of patients. The exact mechanism of paradoxical reactions remains unclear. Most cases are idiosyncratic; however, some evidence suggests that these reactions may occur secondary to a genetic link, history of alcohol abuse, or psychological disturbances. This review evaluates the numerous cases of paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines in adult and pediatric patients that have been reported in the biomedical literature. It also explores the advantages and disadvantages of the various available treatment options.
Introduction
Benzodiazepines are used primarily in the treatment of generalized anxiety and panic disorders, as sedative hypnotics, muscle relaxants, and anticonvulsants. These agents exert their pharmacologic action by binding to benzodiazepine-γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-type A-chloride receptors in the central nervous system.[1] This action results in increased inhibitory action of GABA, producing a state of relaxation and inducing anterograde amnesia.
Benzodiazepines commonly are given alone or in combination with anesthetics to induce sedation. Unfortunately, some patients experience paradoxical reactions to these agents.[1] These reactions are characterized by increased talkativeness, emotional release, excitement, excessive movement, and even hostility and rage. The pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these reactions are unclear; however, several predisposing risk factors have been identified. These include young and advanced age, genetic predisposition, alcoholism, and psychiatric and/or personality disorders. Children and elderly patients may be more predisposed than other patients to paradoxical reactions with benzodiazepines. It has been theorized that these subgroups of patients have alterations in the pharmacodynamic response to benzodiazepines; however, the exact differences have not been specifically characterized in the literature.[2] Some patients may have a genetic variability in the benzodiazepine-GABA-chloride receptor that results in an abnormal pharmacodynamic response.[3] Multiple allelic forms of genetically determined benzodiazepine receptors exist, resulting in differing affinity for benzodiazepines among patients.
Patients who are alcoholic may be at increased risk of adverse reactions from benzodiazepines due to an alteration of the neuroregulatory mechanisms of the brain.[4] Alcoholics are believed to have decreased synthesis and functioning of GABA, resulting in less inhibitory action of the neurotransmitter. Finally, patients with psychiatric and/or personality disorders have an increased risk of paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines.[5-7] In this group of patients, the highest risk is experienced by those with psychiatric histories of anger and aggressive behavior. The exact mechanism of paradoxical reaction development in these patients is unclear.[4]
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 14:41:01 GMT
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 14:23:44 GMT
Definitely tell your doctor, very unusual to be stimulated from benzodiazepines. Whenever I've had them, they've always calmed me right down. By the way, diazepam is just as addictive as zopiclone. Hence why it's PRN medication like zopiclone.
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 13:37:24 GMT
The anxiety body stuff is pretty amazing. I have recently been going through a lot of painful memories and processing them. My back was so tight and tense. When things were coming from the unconscious into my awareness certain muscles related to that emotion were twitching and I felt about 2yrs old at one point, really small. After crying and re-living those feelings the muscle tightness went away. Totally amazing how we unconsciously fight painful things to protect ourselves, well, our humility.
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 9:42:56 GMT
I had grief with my diagnosis. Didn't accept the diagnosis even though I pushed for it! Very anticlimatic! felt like a fraud until I started to process it and realised that I wasn't such a failure afterall! my brain is just different!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 9:37:11 GMT
2mg but can take up to 6mg a day. They're not for taking daily. Just when I need them. The idea was to take them to help me sleep as I had zopiclone a few months ago but it's very addictive. Works a treat and no side effects - guess that's why it's addictive! I tried 1mg of diazepam last night and still same effect. I guess I should just go back to docs, she knows best! :-D
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 3:31:31 GMT
Diazepam seems to me like a very bad idea yea it's good for sleep but not exactly a great thing to be walking around the day with plus they can be pretty addictive. I've taking my fair share of them but that was for sleep and the next day Ur lethargic and not all together there. That seems like a ridiculous medication to dish out for daily anxiety has he ever heard of ssri or beta blockers I'm sure she has, but I don't have daily anxiety and ssri's don't agree with me either.It doesn't help me sleep it makes me hyper!! :-D
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Post by carly31 on Jul 21, 2014 2:59:20 GMT
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 19:29:35 GMT
Not sure if it's related to ADHD, although many people with ADHD have noise sensitivity. They think it's a neurodevelopmental disorder so could very well be separate condition, a part of ADHD or a cluster of conditions? They think OCD has genetic factors, as does ADHD and autism. For me I think part of it could be how distracting the noise is and then how angry I get could be because nobody understands how totally irritating and annoying it is!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 17:25:50 GMT
I'd love to know how many hundreds of thousands of miles I've ridden since age 4! I've always been on my bikes. I love them. I have 2 BMX for when I'm feeling really hyper. I was cycling about 30 miles a day on them. Going round finding all the tracks etc. I have a road bike that I've done about 25,000 miles on since 2007. I've got another racer in bits which needs spraying and a half built dirt jump bike. As you can see, there's a tad of fad in there, but the interest in bikes has been with me for most of my life!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 14:27:16 GMT
oh it is fMRI! sorry just the way i interpreted it!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 13:46:23 GMT
I was invited to take part in a brain scan for misophonia. Apparently they put dye in your brain and play noises that cause your rage- people eating, breathing, typing etc that then shows activity in that area of the brain. With misophonia they think that the part of the brain responsible for sorting noise is wired up to emotional areas of the brain instead of the usual processing areas. I wonder if that type of scan is a similar thing? I never got round to finishing the application form btw, that's why I never had a scan!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 13:07:15 GMT
I don't think I'll be getting addicted to them any time soon. Actually, the itching I'm getting resembles the itching I get from coffee. I think I'm just quite sensitive to chemicals in my body. They're only PRN as I have exams next week and I just want to complete them this time around- uni has already taken me and extra year and half- I just want it out of the way!
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 11:48:03 GMT
Has anyone been given diazepam for anxiety? I don't take any ADHD meds at the mo but I'm really anxious.
GP gave me some diazepam but I feel like I've taken a class A drug. Trippy vision, bizzare trippy thoughts, itchy skin, increased restlessness, nightmares and one hell of a come down!
Obviously this drug isn't for me, but just wondering if anyone else has had this adverse effect and whether it's to do with ADHD?
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Post by carly31 on Jul 20, 2014 10:24:22 GMT
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